Arden
Arden was the 975th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 261 babies. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked 738th; the most babies were born in 2015 (300). Over the last ten years it has moved down 57 places. More babies were named Arden in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning high (Brittonic place-name) · Celtic, English
Say it AR-dun /ˈɑrdən/
- Rank in 2025
- #975 girls, up 80 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 261girls
- Girls and boys
- 55% girls, 45% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2015300 babies
- Total since 1880
- 16,085babies recorded
What does the name Arden mean?
Arden is an English surname taken from places of that name. Wikipedia names three in Britain, in North Yorkshire, Cheshire and the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire, and Wiktionary derives the name from a Brittonic word meaning 'high'. The Forest of Arden is the setting of much of Shakespeare's As You Like It. As a first name Arden is used for both boys and girls.
*ardu- (Brittonic, “high”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Brittonic 'high' derivation rests on Wiktionary; a place-name dictionary check is advisable.
Related names: Ardin.
See also: Celtic names, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Arden', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wikipedia, 'Arden (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- William Shakespeare, As You Like It (Project Gutenberg eBook #1121), Project Gutenberg
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Arden popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #975 | #1,005 | 261 | 225 |
| 2020 | #1,055 | #1,153 | 236 | 168 |
| 2010 | #1,241 | #2,327 | 194 | 55 |
| 2000 | #1,676 | #2,625 | 105 | 35 |
| 1990 | #4,010 | #3,981 | 25 | 14 |
| 1980 | #6,346 | #2,838 | 10 | 16 |
| 1970 | #4,509 | #1,418 | 12 | 35 |
| 1960 | #2,372 | #1,017 | 25 | 57 |
| 1950 | #2,188 | #767 | 20 | 80 |
| 1940 | #1,478 | #581 | 27 | 104 |
| 1930 | #738 | #508 | 90 | 137 |
| 1920 | — | #590 | — | 112 |
| 1910 | — | #730 | — | 17 |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | #890 | — | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Arden, counting every spelling?
Arden is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #906 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #975 for Arden on its own. Together these spellings went to 275 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arden | 261 | #975 | 1,211 |
| Ardyn | 14 | #7,516 | 72 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Arden?
261 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Arden (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Arden born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 32 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Arden.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Arden?
About 6,800 people born in the US named Arden are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 7 and 24. That makes Arden mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Arden by state
How common Arden was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Colorado (2.2×), Pennsylvania (2.0×), Louisiana (1.8×), Virginia (1.6×), Washington (1.6×). In 19 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Arden: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Arden, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Arden · Sibling names for Arden
Questions about the name Arden
What does Arden mean?
Arden means “high (Brittonic place-name)” (Celtic, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Arden?
Arden was the 975th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 261 babies. Its best year was 1930, when it ranked 738th; the most babies were born in 2015 (300). Over the last ten years it has moved down 57 places. More babies were named Arden in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Arden a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 55% girls, 45% boys given the name Arden in the US.
Where is Arden most popular?
In 2021–2025, Arden was most common in Colorado (0.32 per 1,000 girls), followed by Oregon and Pennsylvania.